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Drum Corps Diary 2010: What I Have Learned

Acknowledging the end of the season, this article by Robert Gagnon is the eighth and final installment of our summer 2010 drum corps diary series written by members of the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps.

The “Maze” is over, and it was an a-maze-ing journey. This summer has truly changed my life!

Somewhere in the past year I lost myself, and I lost sight of the things that I wanted. Drum corps was also something that I lost sight of; I forgot who I was when I marched. That is one of the main reasons I wanted to age out this summer. I was not the person who I wanted to be, but now I am back on track to becoming him. Once again I believe in myself and have set goals that I intend on seeing through.

I would like to thank everyone involved with Pacific Crest: members, alumni, staff, families, volunteers, donors and fans alike. You are the ones that gave me that back, and I will never forget what you all did for me.

It’s funny when I first came into the season, I really didn’t want to march tuba, and I never thought that it would be so hard to put it down at the end. When they told the ageouts to set our horns down in the arch at ageout ceremony, that was when I started to cry. It was a realization that the season and my time as a drum corps performer was over. It was a reminder that I would have to say goodbye to my section, my brothers, my friends. They were the ones who helped me so much this season.

In the beginning I thought they were a bunch of kids that I had nothing in common with, but the nine of them are pretty awesome; they are an amazing group of men, and they will be great. I just wish I had the opportunity to march with them all again, to see them grow as people and watch them teach the rookies what we do.

I would like to thank my section: Mike Jones, Alexander Moore, Patrick Ryan, Salvador Vicente, Jason Ramirez, Francis Sefton, Dominic Pultz, Boomer Ybarra and Conrad Zimmer. You all truly made my summer what it was and helped to make my ageout summer more meaningful than I could have ever imagined! We were a great section, with real horns, and I am proud to say that I was part of that, that I was part of the 2010 Pacific Crest Contra Line.

Now that the season is over, and I am officially a member of the Drum Corps International Class of 2010, it’s time to go back to reality. I may not be eligible to march anymore, but I will carry the friendships and lessons that I have learned with me for the rest of my life. Those of you who march/marched know what I mean when I say that drum corps is never really over. It is a part of us all, and I will always be grateful for that. Have a good few months off, and I can’t wait to see what happens next season!

Note from the Editor: If you’re interested in experiencing more of Pacific Crest’s 2010 season, check out the soon-to-be-released documentary, “The Walk to Indy.” Visit Pacific Crest’s website for more information.

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